Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

National Insurance Contributions: Self-employed

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 2616, how much his Department spent on consultations with businesses and business organisations to seek views on proposed changes to national insurance contributions for self-employed people.

Margot James: National Insurance Contributions for self-employed people are a matter for Her Majesty’s Treasury.

Energy: Blaenau Gwent

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of constituents in Blaenau Gwent constituency who will be affected by the Government's proposal to safeguard customers on the poorest energy value tariff.

Margot James: Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. Alongside this Ofgem has announced a package of measures to help consumers move away from poor value tariffs.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff in the Law Officers' department have responsibilities relating to the UK's exit from the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Attorney General, what amount of the Law Officers' Departments' annual expenditure is allocated to work relating to the UK's exit from the EU.

Jeremy Wright: The Law Officers' Departments use their resource flexibly and a number of staff from across the organisations have been involved in work that supports the UK’s exit from the EU. The Government Legal Department has a team that specifically provides legal services to the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU). Currently, there are 41.5 full-time-equivalent staff in this team and GLD would expect to charge DExEU £3.731m for the services of this team in the 2017/18 financial year. The remaining Law Officers' Departments (Attorney General’s Office, Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) do not keep a separate record of expenditure for work relating to the UK’s exit from the EU. It would not be proportionate to quantify the number of staff involved and calculate costings, – particularly as the numbers of staff involved and the time requirements from each vary over time.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Self-employed

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to address the fact that self-employed workers are less likely to get onto apprenticeships as they are not on the payroll for PAYE and therefore not part of the levy calculation.

Anne Milton: Apprenticeships are paid jobs and availability is determined by employers, both small and large, choosing to offer apprenticeships and recruit apprentices.The UK-wide Apprenticeship Levy will enable us to fund the step change needed to achieve 3 million quality apprenticeship starts in England by 2020, benefitting employers and learners alike. Supporting and growing apprenticeships amongst smaller employers who won’t be asked to pay the levy is critical to us. The government will pay 90% of the apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the maximum amount of government funding available for that apprenticeship) and the employer will only pay a 10% contribution. We will extend government support to 100% for the smallest employers taking on younger apprentices. We are undertaking a wide range of activity to ensure employers of all sizes are aware of how they can make the most of the opportunities presented by apprenticeship reforms.

Migrant Workers: Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost to businesses in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency of the Immigration Skills charge for the current financial year.

Anne Milton: The Immigration Skills Charge was introduced on 6 April 2017. It is a charge on UK employers who sponsor workers from outside the European Economic Area through the Tier 2 skilled worker route. We have not modelled the cost of the Immigration Skills Charge on any individual business. The cost will depend on whether employers choose to use the Tier 2 route and will vary depending on the number of Certificates of Sponsorship employers choose to assign, whether they pay the standard or reduced rate, and the length of time an employer chooses to employ a worker for.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the most recent advanced learner loan applications figures.

Anne Milton: We will publish the final advanced learner loans application information for the 2016 to 2017 academic year in October 2017.

Schools: Tatton

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) cash and (b) per pupil funding has been provided to schools in Tatton constituency in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average (a) cash and (b) per pupil funding is for (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department primarily allocates revenue funding for schools at local authority level, and does not identify funding for primary and secondary schools separately. The table in the attachment shows per pupil revenue funding figures from 2012-13 to 2017-18 for each local authority.Figures are not directly comparable from year to year: in 2012-13 local authorities were allocated a General Unit of Funding (GUF), which covered schools, high needs and early years funding. From 2013-14, this was split into separate schools, high needs and early years blocks. Schools block allocations for 2017-18 reflect the most recent spending decisions by individual local authorities, including transfers between the schools and high needs block. The schools block allocation for all individual schools for 2016-17 are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2016-to-2017.



1613_1718_attachment
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27.39 KB)

Skilled Workers: Vacancies

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2017 to Question 233, what steps are being taken to ensure that ongoing skills gaps of all types are filled.

Anne Milton: The Government wants to create a world-beating technical education system and is investing heavily to ensure that it delivers the skills that the economy needs. We will deliver 3 million apprenticeships by 2020, and drive up the quality of apprenticeships to ensure they deliver the skills employers need. We are developing a system of technical education based on 15 new technical routes and introducing new qualifications, known as T-levels, which will provide clear pathways to jobs. We are also strengthening the provider base, including by establishing a network of new Institutes of Technology specialising in delivering higher-level technical skills.

Arts: Vocational Guidance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for the development of specialist careers advice for those considering careers in the creative industries.

Anne Milton: We make advice available to help young people and adults make informed decisions about their options including careers in the creative industries. The National Careers Service provides professional careers advice to young people and adults via a dedicated helpline, website and in the local community. The website contains a number of job profiles. These includes information on roles, skills and entry requirements for occupations and careers in the creative industries. All National Careers Service provider advisers are qualified professionals, most of whom are qualified to level 6 in delivering careers advice and have access to continuous professional development. Schools have a statutory duty to provide access to information on the full range of options to their pupils aged 12 -18 years. This must include information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships in many industries. Through their links with the Careers and Enterprise Company and programmes such as “Inspiring the Future”, young people have access to employers from a variety of industries. This contact helps to broaden their horizons and consider different opportunities.We want to go further to ensure that everyone can find a fulfilling education or training route that is right for them, whether this is an academic route, technical route or apprenticeship. The Secretary of State confirmed in a speech to the Sutton Trust on 12 July that we will publish a careers strategy in the Autumn. This will improve the extent and quality of support for people of all ages. We are implementing apprenticeship reforms to continue to improve the quality of apprenticeships for all, providing the skills that employers need to reach our commitment of 3 million starts in England by 2020. We want better apprenticeships in more sectors, covering more roles, including in the creative industries.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to the main capital budget for schools for each financial year to 2020.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education will invest over £23 billion on school buildings between 2016-17 and 2020-21 financial years, taking account of efficiencies and savings announced by the Secretary of State on 17 July 2017. The Department confirms annual funding allocations for specific programmes in the spring for the financial year ahead, based on the latest forecasts of programme delivery.The Department’s Main Estimate Memorandum for 2017-18 financial year sets the schools capital budget as £4,501 million. The Memorandum is available here:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Department_for_Education_2017-18_Main_Estimate_Memorandum.pdfDetailed spending plans for future financial years will be set out in future Main and Supplementary Estimates.

Doncaster College

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department agreed for Doncaster College to work out-of-area in 2015 with Worksop Town FC in recruiting for a 16 to 19 football discussion; when her Department was first contacted by Doncaster College on such work; and what discussions officials of her Department had with North Nottinghamshire and West Nottinghamshire colleges on its decision.

Anne Milton: In the early part of 2015, Doncaster College formed a partnership with Worksop Town FC for a Sports Academy. This type of arrangement is not one for which the then Education and Funding Agency would need to provide any formal approval. Doncaster College had difficulties in fulfilling their side of any proposed partnership agreement and subsequently withdrew from the arrangement.In light of the above, Doncaster College has not worked out of area with Worksop Town FC in 2015 or in any subsequent years. The principal of North Nottinghamshire College contacted Worksop Town FC to discuss the development of the Sports Academy but received no response. There is no record of any discussion with West Nottinghamshire College.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions the Environment Agency has had with West Midlands Police on (a) the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley and (b) Rowan Oak Waste Services Limited.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 July 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with.Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated. We have made all Emergency Services, including West Midlands Police, aware of the site through the West Midlands Local Resilience Forum (WM LRF) meeting. We have advised West Midlands Police that we are undertaking a criminal investigation into the company. We have shared information and raised awareness of this site, along with other sites within the West Midlands Conurbation, to all the partners of the WM LRF detailing the high risk of fire from these sites and what action we have taken to reduce this risk.  We have separately met with West Midlands Fire Service to ensure that fire risk has been appropriately assessed and a suitable incident response plan has been produced for this site.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency have met Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Environmental Health and Planning Departments four times between November 2016 and July 2017 to discuss Rowan Oak Waste. At each meeting the Environment Agency have provided the latest information on their action against the clearance of the site and their enforcement action against the operator. The Environment Agency have also discussed and agreed how amenity complaints from the site would be dealt with.Councillor Steve Waltho and Councillor Ali Shaukat have also attended these meetings. They have taken the information shared back to their local communities to keep them updated. We have made all Emergency Services, including West Midlands Police, aware of the site through the West Midlands Local Resilience Forum (WM LRF) meeting. We have advised West Midlands Police that we are undertaking a criminal investigation into the company. We have shared information and raised awareness of this site, along with other sites within the West Midlands Conurbation, to all the partners of the WM LRF detailing the high risk of fire from these sites and what action we have taken to reduce this risk.  We have separately met with West Midlands Fire Service to ensure that fire risk has been appropriately assessed and a suitable incident response plan has been produced for this site.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Buildings

Mary Creagh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 26 June 2017, Official Report, column 348, if he will list the public sector buildings which are now undergoing checks.

Caroline Nokes: Our priority has been to identify and test buildings clad in Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) and which, are either social or private rented housing, or public sector buildings meeting certain height thresholds. We are continuing to receive and analyse data on the wider public sector estate. There are range of public sector buildings currently being checked including hospitals, schools, prisons and probation facilities, care homes, military accommodation and other buildings used for overnight accommodation. Where screening tests indicate that ACM samples would not meet the limited combustibility requirements of the current Building Regulations guidance, the Government will inform the building owner and notify the fire and rescue service and local authority of the test result. Clear guidance has been issued to ensure the safety of buildings and occupants. Where appropriate, organisations are working with the fire and rescue service to put in place precautionary safety checks and measures.

Women and Equalities

Females: Voting Rights

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the £5 million fund to celebrate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 announced in the Spring Budget 2017 will be open for applications.

Anne Milton: The government has set up a £5m fund to help celebrate this important occasion, which extended voting rights to women for the first time. The fund will help build a legacy for the future by educating young people about this important milestone and to inspiring women to get more involved in politics at all levels. This funding will be available for projects in England, and details including application criteria will be announced in due course. The Barnett formula has been applied to this funding in the usual way and it is for the devolved administrations to decide whether, and how, they choose to mark the centenary.

Maternity Services: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government plans to offer support to Northern Irish women to carry their children through to term in the light of the support it is extending to women in Northern Ireland seeking support to have an abortion on the NHS in England.

Anne Milton: Healthcare is devolved to Northern Ireland so this is a matter for the Northern Ireland (NI) Government. The recent decision to fund abortions in England for women usually resident in NI does not affect this position.